Further threat to hospital services

A MAJOR political row has erupted over the proposed “significant downgrading” of 12-hour emergency services at Ennis hospital, amid claims that local Government deputies are not living up to their pre-election promises.

 

Deputy Timmy Dooley levelled the charge against Fine Gael’s Pat Breen, Joe Carey and Labour Deputy Michael McNamara after the Mid-West HSE confirmed the Local Emergency Centre at Ennis hospital will become a Local Injuries Unit, focusing on the care of adults and children over five with injuries such as broken bones, soft tissue injuries and wounds.

The Mid-West HSE has insisted the change is in line with new national clinical programmes to provide safer patient care in acute hospitals in the region.
No date has been set for the changes and The Clare Champion understands it will not be implemented in the short term until a new Medical Assessment Unit is provided at Ennis hospital and other necessary changes are introduced.

Deputy Dooley has requested Deputies Breen, Carey and McNamara to explain the rationale behind this significant change in Government policy in light of previous pre-election commitments made by Fine Gael leader, Enda Kenny that all existing services at Ennis would be maintained.

In an interview with The Clare Champion in February 2011, Deputy Kenny stated, “Fine Gael remain committed to retention of acute medical facilities and suspension of removal of cardiac facilities”.

Rejecting Mr Dooley’s claim, Fine Gael Deputies Breen and Carey insisted Health Minister James Reilly has said no final decision has been made regarding services at Ennis hospital.
Deputy Dooley said the Fine Gael and Labour deputies had made the delivery of an appropriate health service the cornerstone of their election manifesto.
He said public meetings were held as part of an orchestrated campaign over the transfer of acute surgical services from Ennis to Limerick where it was stated by hospital action committee activists, and supported by opposition deputies, that up to 20 patients a year would die if this change were made.

He asked the Clare Government deputies to accept or reject the validity of this statement, which he claimed they supported at the time and to accept that the dire predictions of 20 deaths hadn’t transpired as a result of emergency services changes introduced in Ennis by the Fianna Fáil-led government.

“Ennis hospital will be in a worse position than it was before if a Local Injuries Unit replaces the Local Emergency Centre. Where is the Ennis Hospital Action Committee, which organised public meetings in the past, which were largely orchestrated by Fine Gael representatives and supported by Labour to invoke fear in the minds of Clare people in the run-up to the last general election?
“I believe Fine Gael and Labour representatives were engaged in the misrepresentation of the facts at a minimum and in addition, made certain promises about the reconfiguration of services at Ennis hospital, which are now going ahead.

“Government deputies now have to explain why there is a major change in Government policy in relation to emergency services at Ennis hospital.
“If Government deputies can’t stand over the statement that up to 20 Clare patients would die, do they now accept they misrepresented the facts.

“The Government parties had great oversight of the state of the finances before the last general election and yet went out and made wild and provocative statements about the delivery of health services,” he said.

Deputy Dooley said he had supported the removal of major acute surgery from Ennis hospital in the interests of patient safety before the last general election.
He warned the reduction of the Local Emergency Centre in Ennis to a Local Injuries Unit would “clog up” an already congested situation in Limerick.

Deputy Breen said, “I wrote to Minister Reilly seeking clarification on a number of issues, following reports locally that changes were to be made at Ennis hospital.
“The minister has assured me and Deputy Carey that final decisions will not be made in relation to changes at Ennis before the publication of the Small Hospital’s Framework Document. I believe our focus needs to be on improving services in the Mid-West Region, in order to support patient care and ensure the services provided at both Ennis hospital and Limerick general hospital complement each other. For example, upgrading ambulance services across the county will ensure people can be transported quickly and receive the treatment they need.”

Deputy Carey commented, “The reality is, despite the claims being made by Timmy Dooley, people with major traumas have been treated at Limerick general for three years now, since Fianna Fáil downgraded services at Ennis. What we need to do now is push ahead with improvements at Limerick general hospital and I am calling on the HSE to engage fully with the public before announcing any service changes.
“A lot of very good work is being carried out at Ennis hospital in the areas of endoscopy and radiology and it’s hoped that the hospital could be designated as a centre for bowel cancer screening. This work will continue.

“I am also calling on management to reach an agreement with staff in Ennis to ensure the state-of-the-art 50-bed unit, which has been lying idle, can be opened,” he said.

Deputy Michael McNamara has also rejected Deputy Dooley’s claims. “Deputy Dooley will recall that contrary to his accusations, I never sat on the Opposition benches and I never made such wild assertions.
“At one public meeting on health I attended in the West County Hotel before the last election, I specifically declined to play politics with health, to make pre-election promises or to engage in commentary on the extent to which Timmy had adhered to the promises he had made before the previous election.”
Deputy McNamara pledged to continue to engage with Minister Reilly and the HSE to ensure the maintenance and improvement of health services in Clare.
HSE Forum West member, Councillor Brian Meaney warned the battle to provide adequate emergency care at Ennis hospital will be lost if this “significant downgrading” is introduced.